Caterpillar recently completed assembly of the 5000th Cat 793 Mining Truck. Caterpillar data show that the milestone production figure far exceeds the manufacture of any other brand of 227-t (250-st) size class truck. In production since 1991, truck number 5,000 represents the fifth generation of the 793.

“The 793 Mining Truck is the core of Cat surface mining vehicles,” Jean Savage, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Surface Mining & Technology Division, said during a ceremony at the Decatur, IL manufacturing facility. “The 793 has been an integral part of making Caterpillar the leading supplier of surface mining equipment. I thank the assembly team as well as those who developed the truck and those who support the trucks working in mines around the world.”

“The success of the 793 supports our belief that it is the most productive and cost-effective mining truck in a wide range of applications,” said Sudhanshu Singh, global product manager, large mining trucks. “The 793’s success is a direct result of collaboration with customers, Cat dealers and cross functional teams within the Caterpillar organization — who have worked to optimize the performance of Cat trucks in a wide range of applications. Our very first 793 truck, placed in service 27 years ago, is still in service delivering best-in-class cost per ton.”

The 5,000th 793 truck will be delivered to a mining customer in Australia. The largest populations of 793s are operating in Australia, North America and South America where the trucks work to mine iron ore, copper, coal, gold and other minerals.

The 793 has built a strong reputation for durability. One of the longest-running 793s was built in 1992 and has accumulated 173,000 operating hours — nearly 20 years equivalent — as it works in a mine in the United States.

The most recent generation, the 793F, has been the truck of choice for autonomous operation. More than 100 793F trucks are now operating via Command for hauling, the Cat autonomous truck operations system, which is a part of Cat MineStar. Most of the autonomous trucks are operating in iron ore mines in Western Australia, though Cat autonomous truck fleets are growing in South America and North America. Interest in autonomous haulage continues to grow, because Cat autonomous trucks have delivered productivity increases of more than 20 percent while improving safety and reducing costs. Cat autonomous trucks have hauled more than 700 Mt (800 million st) since the first such trucks started working about four years ago.